Digital privacy has become a huge concern in recent times as personal data can be of great harm when in the hands of the wrong people. The article "Privacy in a digital world" by Tehilla Altshuler explores the issues around digital privacy. Digital privacy is the protection of personal information that is used while accessing the internet. According to Altshuler (2019), the major ethical concerns about digital privacy are unauthorized access to private data and inappropriate use of data once collected. In the article, Altshuler (2019) discusses three aspects of the right to privacy relevant to digital privacy. In the first perspective, Altshuler (2019) brings the idea that the massive pooling of personal data enhances the right to privacy by enabling individuals to have more control over their data. According to her, individuals should have the ability to control how their information is used. Further, Altshuler (2019) notes that the right to privacy ensures that personal information cannot be used without the consent of the user. However, Altshuler (2019) identifies one major issue with the idea of personal privacy. According to her, digital privacy is fictional as personal data is obtained in many ways, most of which do not require consent.
In the second perspective, Altshuler (2019) explores the rights of individuals to preserve their identity and have a safe space around their life. In regard to this issue, the author argues that individuals should ask themselves whether there is a need for businesses or the government to collect people’s data in an obsessive manner (Altshuler, 2019). The intensive data collection and the advantages brought by the new technology have created a discussion that privacy is dead and that we have to get used to that fact. However, the limitation of the notion that privacy entails personal data control is fictional as tech organizations use a large amount of private information lacking actual users’ consent (Altshuler, 2019). The information gathered is then used in various places, such as advertising, which may have value or threaten society. To resolve the issues around safe space on the internet, individuals should weigh the impacts of curiosity and trust (Altshuler, 2019). Besides, people should avoid reacting to humanized technology devices as if they are real people.
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In the last perspective, Altshuler (2019) discusses the idea of privacy making it difficult for businesses and the government to collect personal information to develop people's behavioral, psychological, and personality profiles. This information is used for targeted advertisement and in other issues based on individual behavior. To promote personal privacy, the author notes that online privacy should be seen as crucial collectively in society. Therefore, better laws should be developed to increase online privacy. Kerry (2019) agrees with Altshuler (2019) that proper legislation that governs how and what user data should be collected and managed to promote data privacy and innovation should be implemented. Besides, organizations must inform their users what kind of data they collect and whether they accept the data to be collected. In addition, the companies should protect the data from internal and external breaches. Protection of personal data would help prevent data breaches like the one that affected Facebook, where 530 million users were affected (Bowman, 2021). The main takeaway from the article is that, in the current information age, privacy should be included as a fundamental right in society.
CE2 – Multinational and Global Ethical Aspect of the Article
Information technology literacy is a crucial element of modern-day society that required understanding digital ethical issues and how to handle them. The article portrays how the current information age has influenced the perception of digital privacy. Many tech corporations are involved in their users' data mining to develop updated online profiles of individuals for better target marketing of products and services. The collection of user information has raised many ethical issues in information technology, as the use of personal information without consent is against individual rights.
The major ethical issues addressed in the article are the privacy of internet users and the unauthorized use of personal data. The sophistication of information gathering by using more advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning makes it possible to collect any information that can be used to create an online profile. However, despite collecting some of the sensitive data of clients, tech corporations do not notify the users while doing so and may end up selling the information to third-party corporations for advertising. These corporations are obliged to inform users of the data collected and if they want to share the data with other companies. Besides, companies should inform users how their personal information will be used to avoid privacy violations. Providing such information to users would increase trust between companies and individuals. Moreover, companies should protect people's data at all times; this prevents the data from being used by third parties for fraud. Since privacy is still present, it has become the most basic human right in the information age and must be protected to promote democracy.
CE3 – Crucial Questions
There are various questions that can be raised from the article. The first question is, how do we raise information technology literacy levels? In the article, the author identified that online privacy could be improved by increased information technology literacy. Simply, information technology literacy helps individuals to effectively manage, evaluate, understand, and communicate using technology tools. Significant issues in the current information age are related to a lack of knowledge of how new technologies work and the laws that govern them (Helm & Seubert, 2020). The second question that can be raised from the article is, are we able to demonstrate and measure compliance with data privacy regulations? Different regions have different laws that govern data privacy (Thales Group, 2021). Multinational corporations such as Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google need to observe every region's rules and regulations. Therefore, measuring these corporations' compliance with the laws is essential. The last question is, when collecting information, does the organization involved have the right level of consent from users? User consent is required to promote democracy, and organizations should not take more data than allowed by the user.
References
Altshuler, T. S. (2019, September 26). Privacy in a digital world . TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/privacy-queen-of-human-rights-in-a-digital-world/
Bowman, E. (2021, April 9). After data breach exposes 530 million, Facebook says it will not notify users . NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/09/986005820/after-data-breach-exposes-530-million-facebook-says-it-will-not-notify-users
Helm, P., & Seubert, S. (2020). Normative paradoxes of privacy: Literacy and choice in platform societies. Surveillance & Society , 18 (2), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v18i2.13356
Kerry, C. F. (2019, October 25). Why protecting privacy is a losing game today—and how to change the game . Brookings.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/why-protecting-privacy-is-a-losing-game-today-and-how-to-change-the-game/
Thales Group. (2021, May). Beyond GDPR: Data protection around the world . https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/government/magazine/beyond-gdpr-data-protection-around-world
